Entropic N-bound and Maximal Mass Conjecture Violations in Four Dimensional Taub-Bolt(NUT)-dS Spacetimes

We show that the class of four-dimensional Taub-Bolt(NUT) spacetimes with positive cosmological constant for some values of NUT charges are stable and have entropies that are greater than that of de Sitter spacetime, in violation of the entropic N-bound conjecture. We also show that the maximal mass conjecture, which states "any asymptotically dS spacetime with mass greater than dS has a cosmological singularity", can be violated as well. Our calculation of conserved mass and entropy is based on an extension of the path integral formulation to asymptotically de Sitter spacetimes.Comment: 37 pages, 22 figures, 3 tables, few typos corrected, version to appear in Nucl. Phys.

Subglacial bedform and moat initiation beneath Rutford Ice Stream, West Antarctica

The accuracy of sea-level rise predictions is highly dependent on reliably understanding the subglacial environment beneath ice streams. Bedforms result from the interaction between ice and its substrate, and therefore have the potential to shed light on poorly understood basal conditions influencing ice dynamics. However, theoretical models of bedform formation are often based on observations from deglaciated areas or from sparsely-sampled geophysical surveys over glaciated regions. Here, we use high-resolution three- and two-dimensional radar and seismic data to reveal details of the initiation and evolution of a subglacial bedform beneath Rutford Ice Stream, West Antarctica. Radar surveys at 20 m and 50 m line spacing allow detailed imaging of bed topography, including a moat up to 55 m deep, surrounding the upstream end of a 50-m high and >18-km long bedform. Many models rely on either a topographical or a locally resistant seed point to initiate bedform formation. The bedform described here is mostly composed of soft sediment (porosity >0.3) and lacks a boulder or outcrop, suggesting the bedform initiated without a topographic seed point. Sediment at the upstream end of bedforms appears stiffer over a distance of 2.3 km. We suggest sediment inhomogeneities in the initially flat bed cause the deposition of sediment, which, assuming resistant enough, acts as a seed point for bedform extension and moat erosion. The moat's geometry and its truncation of other bedforms suggest that it was eroded after the deposition of surrounding bedforms. These observations from a modern ice stream deliver information of subglacial processes involved in the initiation as well as in situ high-resolution topography and properties of bedforms and moats. Using these observations numerical models can be tested and developed accordingly

Microplastic in wild populations of the omnivorous crab Carcinus aestuarii: A review and a regional-scale test of extraction methods, including microfibres

Microplastic (MP) has become ubiquitous in the marine environment. Its threat to marine organisms has been demonstrated under laboratory conditions, yet studies on wild populations still face methodological difficulties. We reviewed the methods used to separate MP from soft animal tissues and highlighted a lack of standardised methodologies, particularly critical for synthetic microfibres. We further compared enzymatic and a potassium hydroxide (KOH)-based alkaline digestion protocols on wild crabs (Carcinus aestuarii) collected from three coastal lagoons in the north Adriatic Sea and on laboratory-prepared synthetic polyester (PES) of different colour and polypropylene (PP). We compared the cost-effectiveness of the two methods, together with the potential for adverse quantitative or qualitative effects on MP that could alter the capability of the polymers to be recognised via microscopic or spectroscopic techniques. Only 5.5% of the 180 examined crabs contained MP in their gastrointestinal tracts, with a notably high quantitative variability between individuals (from 1 to 117 particles per individual). All MP found was exclusively microfibres, mainly PES, with a mean length (\ub1SE) of 0.5\u202f\ub1\u202f0.03\u202fmm. The two digestion methods provided comparable estimates on wild crabs and did not cause any visible physical or chemical alterations on laboratory-prepared microfibres treated for up to 4 days. KOH solution was faster and cheaper compared to the enzymatic extraction, involving fewer procedural steps and therefore reducing the risk of airborne contamination. With digestion times longer than 4 days, KOH caused morphological alterations of some of the PES microfibres, which did not occur with the enzymatic digestion. This suggests that KOH is effective for the digestion of small marine invertebrates or biological samples for which shorter digestion time is required, while enzymatic extraction should be considered as alternative for larger organisms or sample sizes requiring longer digestion times

Reissner-Nordstrom-de Sitter black hole, planar coordinates and dS/CFT

We discuss the Reissner-Nordstrom-de Sitter black holes in the context of dS/CFT correspondence by using static and planar coordinates. The boundary stress tensor and the mass of the solutions are computed. Also, we investigate how the RG flow is changed for different foliations. The Kastor-Traschen multi-black hole solution is considered as well as AdS counterparts of these configurations. In particular, we find that in planar coordinates the black holes appear like punctures in the dual boundary theory.Comment: 30 pages, 3 eps figures, JHEP style v2: new references added, misprints correcte

Observing Long Colour Flux Tubes in SU(2) Lattice Gauge Theory

We present results of a high statistics study of the chromo field distribution between static quarks in SU(2) gauge theory on lattices of volumes 16^4, 32^4, and 48^3*64, with physical extent ranging from 1.3 fm up to 2.7 fm at beta=2.5, beta=2.635, and beta=2.74. We establish string formation over physical distances as large as 2 fm. The results are tested against Michael's sum rules. A detailed investigation of the transverse action and energy flux tube profiles is provided. As a by-product, we obtain the static lattice potential in unpreceded accuracy.Comment: 66 pages, 29 figures, uuencoded latex file with epsfigures (450 K), supplementary full colour figures are available via ftp, CERN-TH.7413/94 (extended version

Argon annealing of the oxygen-isotope exchanged manganite La_{0.8}Ca_{0.2}MnO_{3+y}

We have resolved a controversial issue concerning the oxygen-isotope shift of the ferromagnetic transition temperature T_{C} in the manganite La_{0.8}Ca_{0.2}MnO_{3+y}. We show that the giant oxygen-isotope shift of T_C observed in the normal oxygen-isotope exchanged samples is indeed intrinsic, while a much smaller shift observed in the argon annealed samples is an artifact. The argon annealing causes the 18O sample to partially exchange back to the 16O isotope due to a small 16O contamination in the Ar gas. Such a contamination is commonly caused by the oxygen outgas that is trapped in the tubes, connectors and valves. The present results thus umambiguously demonstrate that the observed large oxygen isotope effect is an intrinsic property of manganites, and places an important constraint on the basic physics of these materials.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, submitted to PR

Structure of isobaric analog states in 91Nb populated by the 90Zr(a,t) reaction

Decay via proton emission of isobaric analog states (IAS's) in $^{91}{Nb}$ was studied using the $^{90}{Zr}(\alpha,t)$ reaction at $E_\alpha$=180 MeV. This study provides information about the damping mechanism of these states. Decay to the ground state and low-lying phonon states in $^{90}{Zr}$ was observed. The experimental data are compared with theoretical predictions wherein the IAS `single-particle' proton escape widths are calculated in a continuum RPA approach. The branching ratios for decay to the phonon states are explained using a simple model.Comment: 3 figures. submitted to Phys. Lett.

Cosmological Black Holes on Branes

We examined analytically a cosmological black hole domain wall system. Using the C-metric construction we derived the metric for the spacetime describing an infinitely thin domain wall intersecting a cosmological black hole. We studied the behaviour of the scalar field describing a self-interacting cosmological domain wall and find the approximated solution valid for large distances. The thin wall approximation and the back raection problem were elaborated finding that the topological kink solution smoothed out singular behaviour of the zero thickness wall using a core topological and hence thick domain wall. We also analyze the nucleation of cosmological black holes on and in the presence of a domain walls and conclude that the domain wall will nucleate small black holes on it rather than large ones inside.Comment: 13 pages, Revtex, to be published in Phys.Rev. D1

Pion photoproduction on the nucleon in the quark model

We present a detailed quark-model study of pion photoproduction within the effective Lagrangian approach. Cross sections and single-polarization observables are investigated for the four charge channels, $\gamma p\to \pi^+ n$, $\gamma n\to \pi^- p$, $\gamma p\to \pi^0 p$, and $\gamma n\to \pi^0 n$. Leaving the $\pi N\Delta$ coupling strength to be a free parameter, we obtain a reasonably consistent description of these four channels from threshold to the first resonance region. Within this effective Lagrangian approach, strongly constrainted by the quark model, we consider the issue of double-counting which may occur if additional {\it t}-channel contributions are included.Comment: Revtex, 35 pages, 16 eps figures; version to appear on PR